Can video games slow down or stop the decline of mental fitness in older adults? You might say no, having observed the dulled, distracted looks on our children’s faces after a few hours at battle with World of Warcraft and other games. But new research shows that strategic video-game playing may help improve memory and other cognitive functions in seniors.

Most research also suggests an aging mind is characterized by gradual, broad decline in cognitive skills over a lifetime. However, little attention has been paid to ways that might actually slow down or stop mental decline. Now, an emerging body of research suggests that the aging mind may be more flexible or “plastic” than traditionally thought.

In a study recently published in Psychology and Aging, adults in their 60s and 70s who played strategic video games experienced pronounced effects on their cognitive skills not necessarily related to the skills learned in the game. The video game Rise of Nations was selected for its emphasis on resource management and planning.

The game rewards players points for building cities, defending and expanding territories and feeding and employing people. The researchers hoped practicing these skills would improve “executive” function, which is one of the cognitive functions (scheduling, working memory, multitasking, dealing with ambiguity, etc.) particularly impacted by age.

Forty adults participated in the study, half of whom received over 23 hours of training in the game. Compared to the control group, the gamers became significantly better and faster at switching between tasks, and their working memory and reasoning ability also improved. To a lesser extent, they improved their short-term memory and identification of rotated objects (track positions from memory).

This was the first time that such mental training in older adults had been shown to improve mental skills not directly related to skills of the game. It had been shown that the practice of a certain skill can improve subsequent performance of that skill. But here you had to transfer to different mental skills, particularly those known to decline in seniors.

Researchers caution that it's too soon to call it a breakthrough in mental conditioning. And they note that other factors, such as maintaining an active social life, remains a key ingredient in keeping mentally sharp. But it’s probably not going to do any harm to call the grandchildren and schedule a video-game session.